


Tea and Sympathy

by Elendiliel



Series: A Medic's Guide to the Galaxy [9]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26995858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elendiliel/pseuds/Elendiliel
Summary: A general's work is never done, and nor is a nurse's. Since Exegol, Poe's been taking the hardest part of the former on by himself, and of course it's starting to get on top of him. And what else are friends and medics for, if not to lend a hand and an ear at such times?
Series: A Medic's Guide to the Galaxy [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954132





	Tea and Sympathy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sanctuary](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006582) by [CaptainXcamino](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainXcamino/pseuds/CaptainXcamino). 



> Chronology: three months or so after The Rise of Skywalker.
> 
> I wrote this as a partial prelude to Sanctuary, the fic that inspired me to start composing these bits of semi-nonsense, but have no actual connection to its author other than a general permission to extend his (highly recommended) story. Any deviations or mischaracterisations are entirely mine.

Life is a funny old thing at times. Nurse Elinor Macnab reflected on this as she listened for the sound of an X-wing coming in to land, and checked both her chrono and her instincts for the hundredth time. If anyone had asked her, the day she sat her final exam back on Coruscant, where she saw herself at this point in time, she wouldn’t have guessed that she’d be half the Resistance’s medical corps. Or a trained (well, semi-trained) Force-user. And she _certainly_ wouldn’t have expected to be waiting up in the pilots’ common room (she was cleared to fly transport shuttles under supervision, so she did have _some_ right to be there) for her commander-in-chief, heart-brother and ex-boyfriend – all the same person – to come back from a solo mission.

An intuition she’d never fully understood, but which hadn’t steered her wrong yet, told her that she should put the kettle on. She did so, just as _Black One_ ’s engines came into earshot. Poe was back, and he’d need a strong cup of tea at the very least. Even if her senses hadn’t told her that, common sense would have. Poe had taken it on himself to visit all the next-of-kin of all the people they’d lost at Exegol, in person, and it was hurting him badly. She’d known it would – it always did – and had asked him over and over to let her or another of their friends help. It was hopeless. Arguing with him always was. She had gone with him the first few times, for moral support, but as more and more of her colleagues had chosen civilian life (not that she blamed them one bit), her responsibilities had increased to the detriment of her free time, such as it had ever been. Now, all she could do was wait and make tea.

As she reached out for the caddy she wanted, the scars on her left arm caught her eye. There were two of them, one neatish and forming part of a rectangle, the other more irregular and jagged. They marked watersheds in her life, and in her relationship with Poe. The first was from her time in First Order captivity, from which he, Finn and Rose had rescued her against her express wishes, and evoked memories of their first kiss. The other she had received during an artillery bombardment that had claimed the life of one close friend and colleague, and the mobility of another. Poe had been there for her, had held her as she wept, had assuaged at least some of her guilt at surviving when others had not. Well, now she could return the favour.

Not as his girlfriend, however. There was no visible scar to mark _that_ watershed. Palpatine’s first transmission and the shadow she’d sensed in the Force at the same point had brought home to them that one or both could well be living on borrowed time. Poe hadn’t wanted her tied to someone who might be a dead man walking, although he’d known from the outset that she was a dead _woman_ walking, or would be without meds. She hadn’t been able to argue against him fiercely enough. They’d been right for each other before, but not now, except as friends.

Friends would most certainly do, though. The tea was brewing; she hunted out two mugs and the strainer just as she heard him approach. (No BB-8; he never got involved in these purely organic dramas.) Usually she’d have it already poured when he came in, but after she’d resorted to slipping a mild sedative into his cup to get him to sleep properly, that option was _right_ off the table. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but he’d been _furious_.

Should be just right now. Making sure he could see her, she poured the tea into two identical mugs and slid them both across to him, letting him choose one before taking the other. They didn’t speak to each other, beyond “thank you”, until he’d finished his tea. No teasing. Not a good day, then. But she had to ask.

“How did it go?” Neutral, touched with sympathy.

“As bad as you’d expect. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep doing this.” His tone was level, but her senses said otherwise. She wrapped her arms around him, a gesture he fully reciprocated, and was far from surprised when tears started to soak into her uniform. She _was_ a little surprised at herself for not wanting to kiss them away, kiss him better. The switch from girlfriend to normal friend had been easier than she’d expected, but it still caught her unawares at times.

“We’re so nearly there,” she whispered into his ear, when she judged that he was ready to hear it. “This is the worst part of our jobs by far, and you’re trying to do it alone. You’d have to have a heart of stone for it not to hurt, and I know you don’t. If you want, I can do the last one. Or ask Finn. He’d be happy to help.”

“No, I’ll do it.” Still in pain, but determined to carry on. “You’re needed here. And Finn’s got another mission coming up.”

“Oh, of course. Tatooine. Well, that should keep both of you out of mischief for a while – him there, you here.” The power-sharing deal between the two generals was very much a verbal contract, a gentlemen’s agreement if ever there was one, but it was understood that at least one of them had to be on base at all times. “And give you time to recover.”

“And figure out who I’m actually going to see.”

“Still no luck?” Poe never told her which soldiers’ next-of-kin he was visiting. She had no idea who the last one was, apart from very elusive.

“None. Maybe you could ask the Force for me.” That was a good sign. Teasing her at last.

“I’ll try. Now, I think we could both do with a good night’s sleep. I’m pretty low on charge, and I’d be surprised if you weren’t.”

He agreed, and insisted on walking her back to her quarters before heading on to his own. A dose of tea and sympathy couldn’t fix everything, but she thought it had helped. And they had time to work everything out. A full lifetime, now, thanks to him, and to so many others.

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the last story I'll post for a while. If anyone's actually reading these and can give me some feedback on any of them, it would be very much appreciated.


End file.
